[15] who interviewed 29 Cuban informants across the Province of Camagey and reported 111 species used for medicinal purposes. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Anyone who has seen a cat lolling around blissfully on a pile of catnip knows that this herb can produce a definite reaction.. Haitian with a dried fruit of Abelmoschus esculentus from his homegarden (G. Volpato). The decoction of fresh herbal components is by far the preferred means to prepare medicinal remedies, accounting for almost 60% of all preparations, which is similar to what has been found in traditional Cuban medicine [15, 17, 19]. Voucher specimens were deposited at the CIMAC herbarium in Camagey (HACC). An ethnobotanical investigation was conducted to collect information on medicinal plant use by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba. Haitian immigrants and their descendants mainly decoct or infuse aerial parts and ingest them, but medicinal baths are also relevant. (Laguerre, 68) By a mental process Laguerre terms cognitive mapping, Haitians seem to have a highly developed instinctual sense of their bodies, their circulatory systems particularly. In North Miami Beach, Audrey Rowe stopped by her friend Cacheta Francis house to pick some cerasee growing in the backyard. Different plant species are added to the basic preparation according to the specific medicinal purpose for which it is prepared: for example, Cissus spp. Edited by: Hammer K, Esquivel M, Knpffer H. 1992, Gatersleben, Germany: Institut fr Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung, 1: 83-109. statement and In this context, traditional ethnobotanical practices are sometimes reconstituted as part of Haitian culture [14]. Miel de gira is considered as a panacea, and its use is apparently widespread among Cuban and Cuban-Haitian populations as a preventive and a remedy, when it is taken in small spoons in doses of from one to five spoons per day [16]. Remedies prepared by heating plant parts in fire (four per cent) are mostly used for topical applications (e.g. Mints such as catnip are widely used both in Haiti and America. While most women in America go to licensed medical doctors to find relief for gynecological problems, the vast majority of Haitian women cannot avail themselves of expert medical care. Down through the ages women have had to deal with menstrual cramps, excessive bleeding, water retention and unwanted pregnancy, just to name a few. Revista Cubana de Alimentacin y Nutricin. They are used to treat rashes in children caused by measles and smallpox (e.g. Chenopodium ambrosioides, Momordica charantia) are used to treat intestinal parasites. Other medicinal uses reported in this study and also commonly found in the Cuban pharmacopoeia include the use of the aerial parts of Cissus verticillata for respiratory problems, of the young fruit of Cocos nucifera and the leaves of Portulaca oleracea for intestinal parasites, of the bark and the leaves of Mangifera indica for gastrointestinal and respiratory problems respectively. Ingestion is the preferred means to administer the remedies and accounts for 62% of all applications. An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants commercialized in the markets of La Paz and El Alto, Bolivia. Additional file 1: Medicinal plants used by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba. Almost half of the plants reported in this study are not reported in Beyra et al. leaves applied to the forehead to treat headache). People who migrated in the 1920s generally sailed to eastern Cuba looking for jobs on the sugarcane plantations to improve their living conditions and support their families in Haiti. 2000, La Habana: Oficina Nacional de Hidrografa y Geodesia, Code of ethics of the American Anthropological Association. Our purpose was to list the plants held to be antifertility agents in the island. Natural Healing with Herbs, Prescott Valley, AZ: Hohm Press, 1987. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 34 Haitians (21 women and 13 men) whose ages ranged from 45 to 102 years (mean age 68), in the following communities: Central Brasil, Jiqu, Aguacate, Esmeralda, Antn, Batey Varela (Antn), San Serapio, Caidije, La Jagua, Macuto 2, Camagey (neighbourhoods of Puerto Prncipe, Bellavista, Florat, and La Guernica). Between bellyaches and lucky charms. Nowadays Haitians are mostly integrated into mainstream Cuban society, although many of them maintain a small-scale farming and livestock production as a base for their livelihoods. We will present and discuss data about: 1) traditional remedies, their uses, and preparation, 2) traditional practices and beliefs related to these uses, and 3) changes and adaptation of Haitian medicinal knowledge with emigration and integration over time. All of the slaves traded their expertise in healing because of the plantation milieu and dire necessity in staying alive. The tea is bitter. Dried cerassee for sale at Grace Seafood in Miami Gardens. This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Remedies used in Voodoo originate generally from plants, as do most prescription drugs . Today's Cubans rely for food and medicine on a mixed culture that draws upon wisdom originating mainly from Indian, African, Spanish, and Antillean ethnic groups [15]. Johns T: The Origins of Human Diet and Medicine. These mixtures can be more or less complex, ranging from a concoction of two plants to complex preparations with different species. with Momordica charantia, Hamelia patens), as well as to treat skin infections such as carbuncles, to alleviate itching, and to fortify children who have 'fragile health'. Senna is the main ingredient in many modern day American laxatives. Cerasee or asosi . So, Lippia alba and Cymbopogon citratus often appear in the corpus of ethnobotanical knowledge of African origin in Cuba [14, 51], and Erythroxylum havanense and Chiococca alba are among the main ingredients of multi-herbal preparations used as a medicinal remedy in Eastern Cuba as well as a spiritual remedy in Afro-Cuban religions [19, 34]. A Haitian carnival takes place every year in Santiago de Cuba, and a Creole radio program is broadcasted nationally [13]. Santillo, Humbart. Topical application as a pomade or plaster is used in 10% of the remedies, while frictioning, preferred with preparations for rheumatisms and arthritis, accounts for two per cent. Edited by: Pieroni A, Vandebroek I. Everyone calls Francis Sister Francis because shes a respected elder. 1957, La Habana: Contribuciones Ocasionales del Museo de Historia Natural Colegio La Salle 10, P. Fernndez and Ca, Alain H: Flora de Cuba. This lapse of time is long enough to permit insights to be drawn regarding the process of transformation and adaptation of ethnomedicinal knowledge after migration and in the ways in which the progressive integration of migrants in the host culture modifies this knowledge. 10.1016/j.jep.2005.05.018. from therapeutic activities pertaining to this cult are of the same kind as those encountered in the practice of Modern Medicine. Edited by Liz O. Baylen and Mike Benoist. Neuwinger HD: Afrikanische Arzneipflanzen und Jagdgifte. Among these, there are plants that are important medicinals for Haitians, such as Artemisia absinthium, Phyllanthus procerus, and Priva lappulacea, as well as culturally relevant Haitian food plants that are also used in the realm of traditional medicine, such as Abelmoschus esculentus, Cajanus cajan, Corchorus siliquosus, and Xanthosoma sagittifolium, and some species used for ritual and religious baths such as Allophylus cominia, Alpinia speciosa, and Vitex trifolia. Therefore, herbs are the medicine of choice and necessity. Most Haitians were illiterate, crowded into barracks (barracones), paid a miserable salary, and compelled to hand over their savings to reimburse the cost of their passage [7,9]. My mom comes from a line of Haitian women herbalists from Gonaives, Haiti. Also, cricket's (genus Acheta and Neoconocaephalus) legs are boiled in water and the decoction is then drunk by children and older people who have urination problems. Her go-to cure-all medicinal plant is asosi, also called cerasee or corailee in the English-speaking Caribbean. 1984, La Habana: Editora Ciencias Sociales. She lives in Pembroke Pines and she also grew up drinking asosi tea. Haitian Voodoo priests control two major practices which might be of interest to toxicologists: healing and poisoning. 1998, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba: Editorial Oriente, Creole Language and Culture: Part of Cuba's Cultural Patrimony. Scull R, Miranda M, Infante RS. Informants reported using 123 plant species belonging to 112 genera in 63 families. 2. 10.1007/s10745-008-9211-4. Human Ecology. Mixtures (components, parts used, preparation and means of use) are given in Table 1, whereas the presence of species in mixtures is reported in Additional file 1. Consequently, there is little data in the literature about the ethnobotanical knowledge and practices of Haitians in Cuba, with the exception of Volpato et al. Additional file 1 Medicinal plants used by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba.Inventory of medicinal plants used by Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the Province of Camagey, Cuba. Boil and simmer until the water turns a murky greenish brown. I was fortunate to have three solid sources of information on herbs in Haiti: Laguerre's Afro-Caribbean Folk Medicine, Colon's Traditional Use of Medicinal Plants in the Province of Pedernales, Santo Domingo, and Jordan's Voodoo Medicine. Traveling cultures and plants The ethnobiology and ethnopharmacy of migrations. New York: Paragon, 1989. Weniger B, Rouzier M, Daguilh R, Henrys D, Henrys JH, Anton R: La medecine populaire dans le Plateau Central d'Haiti. Volpato G, Ahmadi Emhamed A, Lamin Saleh SM, Broglia A, Di Lello S: Procurement of traditional remedies and transmission of medicinal knowledge among Sahrawi people displaced in Southwestern Algerian refugee camps. 1960, Port-au-Prince: Imprimerie de L'etat, Leon R: Phytotherapie Haitienne; Nos simple. Boletn de Resea de Plantas Medicinales. Su estudio en la ciudad de Santiago de Cuba. The plant parts used include: leaves and aerial parts (53.5% as a whole), young leaves and shoots (9.7%), seeds and fruits (8.4% each), roots and tubers (7.7% as a whole), bark (4%), stems (3%), flowers (2.3%), rhizomes (1.3%), and resins and bulbs (0.6% each). The incorporation of local remedies into their own pharmacopoeia occurred as a consequence of factors such as cultural contacts and exchanges between Haitians and Cubans and of personal experimentation or imitation of local practices by migrants. In contrast, the use of the same species with different medicinal purposes may be the result of migrant's adoption of some species through experimentation with plants found in the new environment (e.g. Red sage is an herb found in both locales and is known to be an emmenagogue, or that which promotes menstrual flow (Kloss, 308; Laguerre, 94; Colon, 161). https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-5-16, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-5-16. Although they are also reported in Beyra et al. Voucher specimens were deposited at the CIMAC herbarium in Camagey (HACC). Throughout the field study, the ethical guidelines adopted by the American Anthropological Association [27] were followed. Additional file 1 lists the plant species cited by informants in alphabetical order according to their scientific name, along with their botanical families, vernacular Cuban and Haitian names (as reported by informants during the fieldwork), voucher specimen numbers, parts used, preparation of the remedies, medicinal use, and frequency of mention. Herbal baths are important in Haitian culture in both spiritual and medicinal practices, and represent the second most important category of administration, after ingestion. A few other remedies of non-vegetal origin were also reported. During the period 19001930, more than half a million Haitians entered the country legally or illegally [6,7]. . More emphasis is given, though to its calming and sedative effects than its purifying. Many Haitians are believer of "remed fey" or "bush medicine". 10.1016/j.jep.2004.11.022. Traditional Haitian medicine retained an important role in healthcare and cultural practices soon after immigration, when Haitian livelihoods were based on work in the sugarcane fields, on the surrounding environment, and on their knowledge about that environment. De Smet PAGM. In the Ozarks sarsaparilla tea is also widely used for its purifying properties.. Another blood purifier that is a very common remedy both in Ozarkia and Haiti, is catnip or catmint. Volpato G, Godnez D. Ethnobotany of Pru, a traditional Cuban refreshment. Echinacea can be taken numerous times a day, as recommended by an herbalist. Brandon G: The uses of plants in healing in an Afro-Cuban religion, Santeria. Data also suggest that culturally relevant plants (those cited by more informants and with a greater number of uses) are often used in different qualitative ways by migrants and hosts. The Province of Camagey is located between 2031'01" and 2229'00" latitude North and 7657'00" longitude West from Greenwich. 1990, Tucson: The University of Arizona Press. Scientific name, botanical family, vernacular Cuban and Haitian name(s), voucher specimen number, part(s) used, preparation, use(s), and frequency of mention are reported for 123 plant species used for medicinal purposes. Today's Cubans rely for food and medicine on a mixed culture that draws upon wisdom originating mainly from Indian, African, Spanish, and Antillean ethnic groups [1-5]. Lee RA, Balick MJ, Ling DL, Sohl F, Brosi BJ, Raynor W. Cultural dynamism and change An example from the Federated states of Micronesia. The research led to the identification of 123 different plant species used for medicinal purposes by Haitians and their descendants in the Province of Camagey. Su estudio en la ciudad de Santiago de Cuba. A preliminary study on Haitian plant use revealed that Citrus aurantium (Rutaceae), common name "zorange si" was utilized in a wide variety of ways. Traditional Haitian medicine retained an important role in healthcare and cultural practices soon after immigration, when Haitian livelihoods were based on work in the sugarcane fields, on the surrounding environment, and on their knowledge about that environment. Rituality based on 'sacred' numbers represents, in these cases, a simple way of memorizing the proper dose to be used, as well as a contribution to the efficacy of the remedy by calling upon supernatural forces and entities related to those numbers. Ethnobotanical knowledge is dynamic for any given culture and it changes as it is transferred and appropriated by people who are adapting to new environments [44,45]. Scientific name, botanical family, vernacular Cuban and Haitian name(s), voucher specimen number, part(s) used, preparation, use(s), and frequency of mention are reported for 123 plant species used for medicinal purposes. It is named in honor of its discover, Quassia the Surinam slave. [25]). Momordica charantia, Solanum americanum and Stachytarpheta jamaicensis are among those species most cited by Haitians in this study.
Chaos Warp Mutate Commander,
Situk River Conditions,
Great Dane Puppies For Sale Denton, Tx,
What Happened To St Ives Shampoo,
I 17 And Happy Valley Road Construction,
Articles H
